MCC Service Opportunity

Assignment Title: SALT/YAMEN: Resource Staff &Teaching Assistant – KAC

Term: August 10, 2016 – July 22, 2017 FTE: 1.0 Location: Chuncheon, Republic of Korea (South) Date Required: August 10, 2016

MCC is an equal opportunity employer, committed to employment equity. MCC values diversity and invites all qualified candidates to apply.

Synopsis:

Program details at mcc.org/salt or mcc.org/yamen

The SALT/YAMENer will work with the Korea Anabaptist Center (KAC), in the areas of offline and online theological and Christian education, peace, and Anabaptist resource development, and ESL teaching. The SALT/YAMENer will also network, build relationships and act as cross-cultural learner.

Qualifications:

All MCC workers are expected to exhibit a commitment to: a personal Christian faith and discipleship; active church membership; and nonviolent peacemaking.

1. Interest in the education resource development for discipleship, peace, and community. 2. Experience with both on and offline research and resources (i.e. library, online database); ability to learn new programs/applications. 3. Some knowledge or interest in teaching English from global, cross cultural perspective. 4. Preferred with Biblical, Anabaptist perspective and heart for the ministry of reconciliation and peace. Volunteer with an interest in an Anabaptist perspective on the Bible and a heart for the ministry of reconciliation and peace preferred. 5. Willingness to work hard at organizing KAC resources and program development in, consultation with other staff/volunteers and relationship building with students, volunteers and guests. 6. Cooperative spirit, able to take direction from local host but also to take initiative when appropriate. 7. Patience, flexibility, creativity and good sense of humor. 8. Willingness to study the Korean language, to live with a local family, and to attend a local Korean-speaking Church. 9. Proficiency in word processing and spreadsheet computer programs preferred. 10. Post-secondary education or university degree preferred. 11. Should be comfortable in a quiet working environment with few people (KAC office has only 3- 4 workers/volunteers at one time).

Assignment Narrative:

KAC is a non-profit, resource and networking organization for Koreans interested in pursuing a life of discipleship, peace and Christian community. It operates in partnership with Mennonite groups in North America as well as independent Christian congregations and groups in Korea.

Although Korea has a large Christian population, Christian teaching on peace, conflict resolution, mediation, etc. has been negligible. There are, however, a growing number of Christian groups interested in issues of peace and reconciliation. KAC serves to introduce the Anabaptist/Mennonite perspective and history to many Koreans for the first time. A diverse and growing number of individuals, both Christian and non-Christian, are attracted to this perspective both for its Biblicism and current relevance.

KAC works to develop and provide resources related to peace, discipleship, community and Anabaptism through a library, publishing business, online resources, workshops and peace education programs. Several MCC SALT/YAMENers have served at KAC since September 2003.

Outright battles have ceased between North and South Korea, but the two countries are still at war. The border between the two (also described as the DMZ—demilitarized zone) reinforces this fact as it is the most fortified border in the world. Historically, this region of the world (Northeast Asia) has been one of tension and conflict between the neighboring countries of China, Korea, Japan and Taiwan. Recent changes in the region have seen a steady increase in the number of refugees going to South Korea.

Duties:

1. Participate in Kingdom Builders discussion group every Thursday. 2. Participate in KAC staff meetings as appropriate. 3. Manage the KAC English library, including checking out materials and receiving back materials. 4. Manage the English KAC website content. Proofread and post materials provided by KAC staff on English website. 5. Teach 2-3 English classes for homeschool youth and young adults. 6. Teach English to KAC staff members to increase capacity. 7. Tutor IVEP/YAMEN candidates as appropriate. 8. Learn Korean.

Location Description:

South Korea is a small country and any point can be reached within less than a day of ground travel. Public transportation is plentiful, reliable and relatively economical. Korea boasts many historic sites, cultural activities, hiking destinations, and rugged coastlines. Korea also enjoys four distinct seasons with spring and fall being particularly pleasant. Summers are hot and humid with August average daily temperatures of 30C and lows in the low 20C. Winters can be cold in Chuncheon with average daily temperatures at -4.6C and average nighttime temperatures down to -20C. There is snow in Chuncheon.

The capital city of South Korea is Seoul. It is a large metropolis in the northwestern part of South Korea, about 1 hour by high speed train from Chuncheon. Seoul proper is home to 11 million people and satellite cities around the capital add another 7 million people to this area, making it a very densely populated region. As a large city in a developed country, Seoul has almost everything one would expect in a world-class city – commerce, culture, religion, technology, education, etc. Many people have some knowledge of English and many desire to improve their English conversational skills.

The KAC office is located in Chuncheon, the provincial capital of Gangwon province in north east South Korea. Chuncheon has a population of 280,000 people and is a known as a lake city, being surrounded by three lakes and many mountains. People in Chuncheon are friendly and welcoming. Chuncheon is famous for two types of dishes. The first is "dak galbi", which translates as chicken ribs. It consists of chicken, Chinese cabbage, sweet potatoes, tteok (rice cakes), and scallions, mixed with a spicy sauce. The second famous dish is makguksu, a Korean buckwheat noodle dish served in a chilled broth. Chuncheon is connected to South Korea’s extensive public transportation system, and is connected to Seoul by the Seoul Metro, one of the most heavily used rapid transit systems in the world. It is a one to two hour train or bus ride from Seoul.

Summers are hot and humid with August average daily temperatures of 30C and lows in the low 20C. Winters can be cold in Chuncheon with average daily temperatures at -4.6C and average nighttime temperatures down to -20C. There is snow in Chuncheon. The worker should bring winter clothes along or purchase them in country.

KAC tries very hard to find the participant a homestay with a family, but there is no guarantee this will happen each year. The worker may have to live in a home with roommates of similar ages. The home where the worker will most likely live will have all of the modern conveniences one would see in North America. The conversation will mainly be in the Korean language and diet primarily Korean food, including rice as a staple and a variety of meat, seafood and vegetables. S/he will likely have a room to her/his self. SALT/YAMENers are expected to enter into the life of their host family, accepting their place in relationship to other family members (ie: possibly young children, grandparents) and participating in the normal schedule and responsibilities of the family. SALT/ YAMENers may have less free (i.e. individual) time and private space than some cultures expect and appreciate. S/he will have access to the internet and a phone.

South Korea is a democratic republic. Presidential and parliamentary elections are held every five years. Korea is politically and socially stable and has a well-developed economy; health and security risks are minimal. Theft and violent crimes are rare. “White Collar” crime is more prevalent but it does not directly impact ordinary citizens and visitors.

Korea’s health care system is very good and reasonably priced. Medical clinics and pharmacies are readily available. Traditional oriental medicine and treatments are also readily available. If the SALT/ YAMENer is required to take prescription medicine, he/she should be prepared to bring along sufficient quantities of medication because there are no guarantees the same brand and dosage will be found in Korea.

Although Korea is very modern in a Western sense, it still retains its Korean culture in relationships, worldview, language, food and customs that are very distinct from Western culture. While Korea’s strong traditional culture is gradually changing, relationships are still based on strong Confucian patterns.

The diet is primarily Korean food, including rice as a staple and a variety of meat, seafood and vegetables, so the worker will not have easy access to familiar or comfort foods. Korean food can sometimes be very spicy. Kimchi, a traditional fermented Korean dish made of vegetables with a variety of seasonings, is eaten at almost every meal.

Challenges :

• Learning the language and culture are significant challenges. While many Koreans speak some English and many public signs are posted in both Korean and English, Koreans will speak Korean when in conversation with each other and for public events. While the Korean alphabet is easily learned, the language itself provides a real challenge. Daily conversation will mainly be in Korean, so the SALT/YAMENer should expect to feel frustrated at not being understood or understanding daily conversations. • The worker will generally have less free (i.e. individual) time and private space than some cultures expect and appreciate. • The SALT/YAMENer will be challenged to find spiritual nourishment in worship services held in Korean. Spiritual growth will require a lot of self-care. The worker can mitigate difficulties by bringing along theological and devotional books and materials, or borrow them from the KAC library. • Managing frustration when things don’t turn out as expected can be hard. While we do our best to determine and outline job responsibilities with our local partners, assignments really come alive based on the passions, skills, and giftings of an individual. Responsibilities may change or be refined over time in communication with supervisors to meet the ongoing changes and needs within a local context. As such, the greatest characteristics a participant can bring to an assignment are adaptability, flexibility, patience, a willingness to get your hands dirty, and humility to complete even mundane tasks. • For those who are very task oriented, it can be a challenge to recognize the importance of "being" instead of always "doing" as building healthy relationships and mutually transformative learning is an important part of the participant experience. We hope participants will come with a desire to walk alongside our local partners, rather than see the assignment solely as a way to "get things done".